Double-acting rotary valve for internal-combustion engines



May 19, 1925. 1,538,313

, A. J. BODKER l DOUBLE ACTING ROTARYv VALVE FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTIONENGINES Filed May l. 1924 2 Sheets-Sheetv 2 iid/Gamer www,

Patented May 19, 1925.

. uNirEDf. STATES 1,538,313 `Pivrlazrrr OFFICE.

ALBERT BODKER, OF-PONCEATOULA, LOUISIANA.

DOUBLLACTING ROTARY VALVE ron INTnaNAL-coMBUsTIoN ENGINES.-

Application led May 1,

ilo The presentA nvention relates tovalves for internal combustionengines for controlling both the fuel intake and exhaust.

These valves are rotary valves and each is intended to serve two workingcylinders.

l In this manner, for a four cylinder engine `only two valves are`required and these-two.

valves regulating both the intake and ex'- haust of therespective pairof cylinders.'

The two valves are arranged to turn in opposite directions so that thefourcylinders will be operated in the order of 1, 3, 4, 2;` In theaccompanying drawings, one embodiment oi the .invention is illustra-ted,and:

Figure 1 is a vertical section through the valve cages and crank box ofan internal combustion engine. f

Figure 2 is ahorizontal .sectional view on the line 2-i-2`of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary section along line33 of Figure 2, and `Figure4' is a similarjsection alongllne 4-4 of Figure 2. 'Y ln the drawings,the reference numeral 35 10 represents a casing containing four workfing cylinders 11 and the reference vnumeral '12 the valve cages. Theworking cylinders are arranged in .the same vertical pla-ne and thevalve cages in another vertical. plane. 4 parallel to the first,the-cages being so arranged that one ca eis s1tuated between the twolcylinders which it is to serve.

The valve cages are preferably taperin Y d. pression spring 42 betweentwo washers 43,

i downwardly, `as best in Figure 1, an

are open at their upper'ends to communicate with an exhaust passage 13leading to theexhaust manifold, while the lower end of each valve cage`connects with an inlet pas sage 14 communicating witha fuelsup ly4 5015. Forthe sake of facilitating manu acture, the intake passage 14 iscontained in a box 16 rigidly secured to the casing 10 and lthe taperingside walls of thecages 12 are continued, as at 17, 'downwardly in saidbox. In axial alinement with; each valve 1924. Serial No. 710,350..

cage is formed aseat 18. at the lower end of thebox, whichseatterrninateswith a boss 19 provided with internal threads 20. rlheupper end of the valve cage 12 is "closed by means of a cover plate 21.

The box 16 forms apart of the crank case 22 whichextends below the boxandhas suitable bearings'23 for the crank shaft 24. This crank shaftcarries the usual pitmen 25 forthe pistons operating in the workingcylinders 11 and said pitmenare arranged in the usual manner. The crankshaft 24 is provided with a'gear'wheell 26 in mesh with another gearwheel 27 of the same size mounted on the gear shaft 28. The shafts 24and 28 will accordingly rotate at `the same speed.. On the gear shaftare carried two worlns 29 and 3Q, one being left hand and theother righthand and these worms mesh respectively with worm gears 31 and 32,

the ratio between the worms and worm gears being as 2 to' 1 or, in otherwords, the stub shafts 33 and 34 upon which the worm gears are mountedmake one revolution Ato two revolutions of the gear shaft.28.

The stub shafts 33 and 34 are mounted in suitable bearings 35 preferablyrovided with bushings` 36, as best seen in llgigure 1. In the upper'endof each stub shaftis va transverse slot 37. In' this slot the lower gageso that the valve body will be turned y the stub shaft 34. 4The valve'body 39, which has the form of an inverted oonic frustum, is integralwith-the valve spindle 38 and is carried onv an extension 4() of saidspindle, so that'the lower end of the valve body 39 does not extendbelow the lower side of the valve cage 12. On the vspindle extension 40is formed a collar 41,' the under side of which is ta ering tocorrespond with the seat 18 near t e bottom of the `box 16. Around thespindle 3 8 is carried acomthe lower one of which rests upon the pin 44engaging in the spindle 38.- *'lhe valve is retained 1n the cage bymeans of a threaded plu 45 engaging thel internal threads 20 m t ebo'ss19, already described, and between the plug 45 and the tapering collar41 isfurnished a ball :bearin 46, a second ball bearing l47. beinginserte between the lower end of the plug 45 and the upper washer 43..

The valve body 39 vhas a. central axial pasend of a valve-spindle 38 isadapted to ensage 48 registering with the exhaust passage 13.1n thecasing and connecting with the exhaust port 49 1n the side of the valvebody. An annular passage 50 is formed outside of this central passageand divided from the same by ajhin wall 51, as best seen -in Figures-3and 4f.. v This annular passage opens downwardly and registers with acorrespond-ing opening in the box 16 which communicates with the intakepassage 14 therein. Thisy annular passage communi cates with a second orintake port 52 in the side of the valve body. Each of the cylinders isprovided with a portV 53 whichwserves both as intake and exhaust portfor the cylinder and which is arranged in suoli a manner that the ports49 and 50 in the valve body `vill alternately register with thecorresponding cylinder port 53.

lt will now be evident that with the right f hand valve positioned asindicated in Figure 2 of the dravvings,fresh fuel will proceed from theintakeV passage 14 upwardly through the annular passage 50 in the valvebody and through the intake port 52 into the port 53 of the Workingcylinder indicated by the reference character B in said figure. At thesame time, the left hand l valve, positioned as seen in the same ligure,

will rmit exhaust to 4take place from the Working cylinderdenoted by thereference character A, through the port 53 in said cylinder, the exhaustport 49 in said valve body, and the central passage 48 leading out tothe exhaust passage 13 in the casing.

The engine is arranged as a. four-stroke cycle engine and, as indicatedin Figure 2,

the valve bodies 39, which are right and left hand as previouslyindica-ted, turn in oppothe valve bodies and being taken by a helical'`groove 55 near the upper end of each valve body, as best seen-inFigure 1. This groove is so arranged that the oil will be compelled totravel do'wnwardly on the inner walls of the valve cage but .the groovepreferably does not extend below the upper ends of the side ports in thevalve bodies This double-acting rotary valve has several advantages inits use on internal combustion engines., Considerin for instance, a fourcylinder engine of t is class, each cylinder is generally equipped withtwo pop valves, one for fuel intake and one for ex- As the valve is madeto rotate in its conical-seat no carboncan be deposited therein and as aconsequence-,no leakage or defec tive operation will be possible. 'Evenif'the valve should notfit exactly in the seat'from thebeginning, itwill soon grind itself into correct position so that, instead ofdeteriorating from long use, it will improve in time if it had ever beendefective. This fact tends to eliminate repairs and reduce the costofupkeep. I

As distinguished from pop valves, this valve is not dependent on springsfor closing. The synchronizing and correct opening and closing of theintake and exhaust ports will accordingly be more positive.

Last butnot least, the arrangement 'of an annular intake passage yforfuel surround? ing the axial exhaust passa-ge in the valve insures thepre-heating of the fresh fuel by the exhaust fluid. The valve is thuskept at an even temperature and the fresh fuel is made to enter thecombustion chamber of the workingcylinder in a most favorable condition,thus facilitating the ignition.

Having -thus described the invention, what I claim is: i

1. iA double-acting rotary valve for internal combustion enginescomprising a valve cage in the engine, one end of said valve cage havingan opening connected with a fuel,y supply and the other end having anopening connected with an exhaust for spentfluid, a port being providedin the side of the cage opening into the working cylinder of the engine,a valve body revolubly mounted in said cage, the valve body having sideports adapted to register alternately with the cage port, the valve bodyhaving passages separated from each other, one of the passagesregistering with the exhaust opening and being connected with oneof saidside ports, the other of the paages registering with the fuel supplyopening and being connectedwith the other of the side ports, a spindleextending downwardly from the valve body, and an adjustin plug aroundthe s indle 'having threade `tengagement witht e e.

2. A dou le-acting rotary valve for internal combustion enginescomprising'a valve cage in the engine, one end of said valve cage havingan openin connected' with a fuel supply and the ot er end having an lllOopening connected with an exhaust for spent Huid, a port being providedin the side of the cage opening into the working cylinder of .beingconnected with one of said side ports,l

the other of t-he passages registering with the fuel supply opening andbeing connected with the other of the side ports, a spindle extendingdownwardly from the valve body, an adjusting plug around the spindlehaving threaded engagement with the cage, 'a washer secured to the freeend of the spindle, and

a compression spring inserted between the washer and the adjacent plug.

3. The combination with an internal combustion engine having a pluralityof pairs of working cylinders, of a double-acting rotary valve for eachpair of cylinders, a`n` open-ended valve cage for each of said valves,each of the cylinders having a side port opening into the respectivevalve cage, one

of the endopen'mgs being connected with a .fuel supply and the other endopening forming an exhaust, said rotary `valve comits valve cage,

prising a valve body revolubly mounted in an exhaust port and an intakeport being provided through thel side ofv said valve body, the exhaustport being situated in advance `of the intake port, said valve portsbeing ada ted "to register alternately first with one an then with theother ofthe corresponding working cylinder'ports, the valve body havingpassages, one of the passages being adapted to connect said exhaust rtwith the exhaust opening of the cage, t e other of the passages beingadapted to connect the -intakeport with the fuel supply opening, a,spindle extending downwardlyfromithe valve body, an adjusting pluglaroundV the spindle having threaded engagement with the cage, a washersecured to the free end of the spindle, a compression spring insertedbetween the washer and the adj listing plug, and means forv revolvingeach valve body in opposite direction to the adjacent valve body.

4. A double acting rotary valve for internal combustion engines,comprising a valve cage in the engine, one en d of said valve cagehaving an opening connected with a fuel supply and the other end havingan opening connected with an exhaust for spent fiuid, a port beingprovided in theside of said cage opening into the working cylinder ofthe engine, a valve body revolubly mounted,

in said cage, said valve body having side ports adapted to rregisteralternately .with said cage port, the valve body havingan annularpassage and anaxial passage separated from each other, saidaxial/passage registering with the exhaust opening and being connectedwith one of said side ports, sald annular passage. registering with saidfuel supply opening and being connected with the other of said sideports, suitable gearing connection between the crank shaft of the engineand said valve body adapted to revolve the valve body at a ratio of 1 to2 between the valve body and the crank shaft,

saidvvalve body having the shape of an in.

verted conic frustum, a spindle extending downwardly from said valvebody and pro-

